


Bluebird

by feministdean



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 05:12:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7561726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feministdean/pseuds/feministdean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Although Dean loves Castiel, his boyfriend’s job as a freelance photographer for National Geographic gives him the ability to travel all over the globe which means plenty of time apart. Sometimes it’s hard when all he wants is to stay on the ground while Castiel wants to soar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bluebird

Castiel had already arrived in Tokyo when Dean woke up that morning in Sioux Falls. 

Now they had a fourteen hour time difference between them, which wasn’t the worst time difference that they had, surprisingly, and the three days that Castiel spent in Sydney immediately came to mind. It had been a fifteen hour time difference then. While Dean could handle the fourteen hour time difference, he wasn’t sure that he could handle the fact that Castiel would be in Japan for two weeks. He tried not to think about it.

The first time Castiel informed Dean that he was a freelance photographer was during their first date. They spent most of their coffee date going through the usual first date questions from hobbies to music tastes and when they got to the question of what both of them did for a living, Dean found himself fascinated by Castiel’s job.

Most of the people Dean dated in the past were teachers, accountants, or had another mundane job that required sitting at a desk for eight hours a day. Dean knew he couldn’t judge considering he was only a mechanic, but at least his job had a little originality to it. He owned a thriving car mechanic company and he was proud of that.

But Castiel was different. He was a freelance photographer that was fluent in three foreign languages (German, Russian, and Spanish) and spent most of his time traveling to exotic places or in his studio taking still shots. It was all very new and impressive to Dean at the time.

Dean was still mesmerized by Castiel’s job choice five years later, though, especially since now his boyfriend had a contract with _National Geographic_ which sent him all over the globe. Although he was proud of Castiel, sometimes he wondered what it would be like to have a boyfriend that didn’t constantly travel.

He wondered what it would be like to not go a few days to a couple weeks without waking up next to Castiel or watching television with Castiel or asking how Castiel’s day was through the glitchy screen of FaceTime which would inevitably freeze and lose connection. Dean often wondered what that would be like but he never dwelled on it too much because the thoughts sent a pool of loneliness through him if he did.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes then grabbed his phone from the nightstand beside him, smiling when he saw the few text messages from Castiel. Dean opened his phone then tapped on his messages.

**Castiel [2:15 PM] - Hello, Dean. I just landed in Tokyo and I'm going to grab some lunch before I explore. I'm going to visit Sensō-ji first. Were you aware that it’s the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo?**

**Castiel [2:50 PM] - [Picture Attached]**

Dean looked at Castiel’s lunch, four different types of sushi on his plate, and it made his stomach growl.

**Castiel [3:43 PM] - I'm here at the temple and it’s glorious. It feels magical and significant all at once. I wish you were here to experience it with me.**

**Castiel [3:45 PM] - I don’t feel comfortable taking a picture with it, so here is a picture of just the temple.**

**Castiel [3:46 PM] -[Picture Attached]**

Dean took in the temple, feeling warmth pool into his stomach when he saw some of Castiel’s thumb in the picture.

**Castiel [6:02 PM] - The cherry blossoms are blooming and it reminds me of you.**

Dean’s lips eased into a smile as his eyes traced the text message again and again and again. He let his thumbs hover over the keyboard for a moment before he typed.

**Dean [9:05 AM] - You’ll have to send me pictures of them. I gotta get to work. benny opened the place today, and we have a lot of repairs to get through. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Maybe we can facetime sometime soon?**

He was surprised when he heard his phone ding as he stretched and got out of bed. Dean grabbed it when he headed into the bathroom.

**Castiel [7:07 PM] - We will. Have a good day today. Xoxo**

**Dean [9:09 AM] - Have a good night, babe.**

Dean yawned then got out of bed to start the day. He always began the morning with a cup of coffee, a bagel, and Benny asking how he was.

“I’m fine, man,” Dean said as he walked into the garage. “How is everything holding up?”

Benny looked up from the car’s engine he was working on. “Everything’s good. You wanna get drinks tonight?”

When Castiel was off on a trip, the mornings usually began like this because Benny knew that Dean never liked the beginning of them. He usually got used to Castiel being away after a few days and started missing him like crazy at the end. Benny had started checking up with Dean when he stayed home for a week when Castiel was in Italy. He found Dean in sweatpants with pizza delivery boxes scattered around the living room and kitchen. Now, checking up was a priority.

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Dean said. He stuffed the last bite of bagel into his mouth before going into his office.

While Dean knew this, he didn’t admit it to anyone. Besides, it was normal to miss a significant other when they were gone for a while. After closing up shop, they ended the evening at The Roadhouse. He and Benny sat at the counter, nursing their beers, and Dean took a big swig when Benny brought up Castiel.

“I’m just looking out for you, brother. Two weeks is a long time. I’m guessing he’s been texting you?”

“Of course he has,” Dean said. He put down his beer on the counter then took out his phone. Dean swiped into his conversation with Castiel and showed Benny the screen. “He’s been sending me all of these pictures of everything. Went to oldest fucking Buddhist temple in the city today.”

Benny hummed and didn’t comment on the sappy text messages. He eyed the picture of Castiel standing next to a row of cherry blossom trees. “Looks nice,”

“Yeah, it does,” Dean said, smiling at the same picture. “We’re gonna FaceTime soon.”

“That’ll be good. I’m sure the connection will be solid.”

Dean nodded. “Unlike the time he was in that tiny village in Venezuela.”

“Wasn’t that the time when he contracted yellow fever?”

“Jesus Christ,” Dean rolled his eyes and stuffed his phone back into his jean pocket. “At least it was mild.”

“You wouldn’t let him take any work trips for months after that, remember?”

“Yeah, well, when Andrea gets yellow fever, I’ll see how you react to something like that.”

Benny smirked. “He’s tough. Remember what he told you when he recovered?”

“Of course, I do,” Dean shook his head at the thought. “He said he was fine because now he has lasting immunity against subsequent infection,” a smile grew on his lips. “Dumb son of a bitch.”

“He knows how to make a good Arepa now, don’t he?” Benny said.

“It is really good,” Dean nodded. “He does these risky things and I worry about him.”

“He’s adventurous. Nothing wrong with that.” Benny said. Dean hummed noncommittally. “Why don’t you go on a trip with him sometime? It’d be fun.”

“Yeah, so we can both get yellow fever.”

“Like I said,” Benny smirked again. “Cas is tough. He’ll protect you.”

Dean rolled his eyes and as a smile formed, he took another swig of his beer to hide it.

***

Castiel referred to Dean as an evergreen tree one morning when they were tangled together in bed, his head resting on Dean’s chest. At first, Dean’s brows furrowed in confusion because of it. It was such an unusual thing to be called but he felt a smile develop as Castiel explained.

“You’re always right here when I need you,” Castiel began, his voice rough from sleep. Dean loved feeling the vibrations from his boyfriend’s voice on his chest. “Standing tall to guide me back to you.”

“And what would you be?” Dean asked.

“The bluebird that’s always exploring, but,” Castiel slid his hand closer to Dean’s and intertwined their fingers. “will always return to you.”

Dean lost it when Castiel pulled him into a kiss. He rolled on top of Castiel and ran a hand through his dark hair, deepening it. It became one of Dean’s favorite memories of them. Castiel was his favorite bluebird.

***

The best and worst part was scheduling a FaceTime or Skype call when Castiel traveled. They had to figure the time difference, the wifi signal, and a time when they were both free. Castiel decided that calling during the evening would be best for him because he’d be alone in his hotel room and done with work for the day. Besides, Dean was always an early riser.

Dean sat at the kitchen table that Saturday with his laptop, setting the Skype call up. While the tool had been simple enough for Dean to figure out the first time when they were messing with it before Castiel’s trip to Canada, he spent most of the afternoon teaching Castiel. His boyfriend was never that great with technology.

His heart fluttered when the ‘incoming call’ message and ringtone popped up on his screen. Dean quickly ran a hand through his hair to fix it then accepted the call. His smile widened when he took in Castiel’s messy hair and a worn t-shirt.

“Good morning,” Castiel greeted with a smile. “Did you sleep okay?”

“It would have been better if you were here,” Dean said.

Castiel nodded. “You’d love it here. Maybe you could come on my next trip? I’m sure Benny and the other guys could handle the shop for a week.”

“I don’t know,” Dean said. He loved the garage and traveling was Castiel’s thing. He had never been that interested in seeing the rest of the world. “The guys need me.”

“I need you, too."

Dean watched Castiel’s eyes soften and he changed the subject before they started arguing. Every once in awhile, Dean found himself in a heated argument with Castiel about his job because sometimes he hated that it took so much from them. Castiel always said the absences made their hearts grow fonder for each other. Sometimes Dean thought it did the opposite. He started talking about Sam then.

Sam lived in California with his girlfriend Jess. He was a lawyer while she was a nurse and Dean counted down the months until his brother grew the balls to propose to her. Jess was a real catch: smart, beautiful, and didn’t take any shit. Dean sometimes wondered how his brother got her to date him in the first place. Sam was a lucky son of a bitch.

Castiel liked Sam too. They were both into organic food, running, and theater. They were both a bunch of theater nerds if anyone asked Dean. He was so relieved that they were so close. When Castiel brought up Sam’s trip with Jess to the Grand Canyon, Dean felt like it was a sly dig at how he never joined Castiel on his. Sam had talked him about it before too.

_‘The world is a lot bigger and better than Sioux Falls. Just imagine all of the pie you haven’t tried yet.’_

Dean rolled his eyes because he was fine here. He didn’t need to see giant waterfalls, rain forests, or tall towers. He just needed his family, friends, beer, and burgers thank you very much. Sam told him that Castiel needed more and that was probably one of the reasons why he loved his job so much. Castiel loved seeing different and beautiful landscapes, meeting people from all over the globe, and trying new food. It was a part of him. While Dean was fascinated by Castiel’s job, he never had any urge to follow him.

They talked for a few hours before Castiel called it a night. He had an early call tomorrow and when Dean teased him about all the coffee he would need to get out of bed, Castiel just smiled then stuck his tongue out.

“I love you,” Castiel said.

Dean felt his heart beat faster. “I love you, too.”

When the call ended, Dean closed his laptop to start his Saturday. He needed to go grocery shopping and wanted to get together with Charlie for lunch. Dean grabbed his cell phone in his pocket when he heard it ding a moment later. It was Castiel. He smirked when slid it open and saw a picture of his boyfriend in bed shirtless with a smug look on his face.

Dean pursed his lips as he stared at it. He’d have to use the picture tonight.

***

“Apparently, Cas is sending me a box of candy,” Charlie grinned, her eyes lighting up. “Which is awesome because Dorothy doesn’t want me to order any more. It’s a high shipping fee.”

Dean nodded then took a bite of his burger. “Cas is your supplier.”

“Oh yeah,” Charlie wiggled her eyebrows. Dean shook his head in amusement then took another bite. It was quiet for a moment before Charlie started again. “So… have you asked Cas to bring anything home for you?”

“No,” Dean began. “I don’t need anything. He’ll probably just bring back a flag or something.”

“Right, because seeing it for yourself would be better.”

Dean’s brows pinched together. “Have you been talking to Sam?”

“Not recently, but I’m guessing you two have talked about something similar? I just think it would be cool for you to go on a trip with him. I mean, going to Paris or something with his fancy Canon camera and he’d take candid pictures of you,” Charlie sighed as a smile grew. “Wouldn’t that be so romantic?”

“He’s too busy to do that sort of thing,” Dean said, taking another bite of his burger.

Charlie’s smile stayed. “He’d always make time for you.”

While Dean rolled his eyes, he felt his heart swirl. It didn’t seem that bad.

***

Slowly but surely, the days passed and when he crossed out the final day of Castiel’s trip on the cat calendar in the kitchen, he smiled. He was scheduled to pick Castiel up at the airport tonight and before then, he needed to clean the house. Dean turned on _Guns ‘N Roses_ to get him in the right kind of headspace and went to get the cleaning supplies.

After the house was cleaned, Dean took a shower and tried on an array of outfits. While he had been picking Castiel up from the airport for years, he always had a hard time figuring out what to wear because he wanted the first time Castiel saw him in days or weeks to make him feel something. It also set the mood for sex later that night.

Dean left the house when he received a text message from Castiel informing him that he had landed. It would still be another thirty minutes when he arrived because Castiel needed to go through U.S. Customs & Border Protection inspection, but Dean always liked to greet him at the baggage claim.

Sioux Falls Regional Airport was small and relaxed which made it one of Dean’s favorites. He still shuddered when he thought about the year he went with Sam to pick up Jess at LAX for Thanksgiving. But since it was already eleven when he arrived and saw only a handful of people, he felt at ease. Dean glanced at his watch as he walked to the baggage claim, feeling his heart begin to flutter.

Dean remembered the time Sam suggested that he bring a giant poster to greet Castiel with. He said it would be romantic. But Sam was a sap. Dean didn’t need a big proclamation to show Castiel he was happy that he was finally home. Castiel easily covered that by pulling Dean into a welcoming embrace the moment he saw him.

He used to be embarrassed by it and when he told Castiel about it as their lips parted, Castiel just told him that if someone didn’t like it, then they could just look somewhere else. Dean felt himself blush as a small smile formed. He never said anything about it again.

Dean glanced at his watch again and was about to sit down when he noticed a sea of people coming into the baggage claim. His eyes jumped around the crowd until they found Castiel’s messy dark hair, smiling when he fixated on his boyfriend’s next.

While Castiel looked worn with bags under his eyes and his bookbag over his shoulders, his smile was big and gummy as he made his way through to Dean. He immediately wrapped his arms around Dean, making his boyfriend stumble back.

“I missed you so much,” Castiel breathed out then pulled Dean into a kiss. He smiled as they parted and slipped his hand into Dean’s. “And I bought you a Japanese flag.”

Dean’s smile widened. “You’re the best.”

***

Dean slowly ran a hand through Castiel’s hair as they laid in bed. The sheets were tangled around both of them while their legs intertwined together. Castiel’s eyes were half-closed and his voice was laced with sleep as he recounted his trip and if anyone asked Dean, this was one of his favorite parts when Castiel returned home.

“The Meiji Shrine was beautiful, Dean,” Castiel hummed. “And the cherry blossoms were gorgeous, too. None of the photos I took give them any justice.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about because the photos you sent me were incredible.”

“It would have been better if you were there,” Castiel smiled softly and Dean felt his chest ache. “I don’t think I convey enough how much I miss you when I’m gone. I love my job… seeing the world, but I hate spending so much time away from you. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it anymore.”

“Cas..." Dean began.

“Do you want to go to bed now?” Castiel pulled the covers closer. “I’m tired.”

“We can go to bed.” Dean turned off the lamp on his nightstand then got comfortable. He rolled over to his side to face Castiel’s back, wrapping his arms around him. “I’ll make you eggs and bacon in the morning or can you find that in Tokyo too?”

“Yes, I actually found a cafe that serves it and I took a picture before I ate it but couldn’t find the heart to send it to you," Castiel yawned. "It was terrible.”

Dean just chuckled as he tightened his hold.

***

Castiel had been home for three weeks and his comments about missing him still swirled around Dean’s mind. He knew Castiel missed him whenever he was on a trip because he told him through text message or a FaceTime call that would inevitably lose connection. But Dean hadn’t heard similar sadness from Castiel since he got drunk at Charlie’s Christmas party two years ago.

All through the party, Castiel hung onto Dean because he was flying out to Berlin the next day. While Dean knew that Castiel was affectionate when he was drunk, his words stung. They were on the couch together with Castiel on his lap as he peppered Dean’s neck with kisses.

“And you know, we could see the Berlin Wall together or the Reichstag building,” Castiel hummed. He scooted closer and slid his hand in Dean’s. “I’d go anywhere, really, with you. I’m excited but I don’t think it’ll be as fun without you.”

“Of course it will be,” Dean said.

Castiel shook his head. “It won’t be. I’ll miss you so much that I think my heart will jump out of my chest if I think about it more.”

“Then don’t,” Dean began. His voice was hushed as he gave Castiel a small smile. “We’re here together now. Why don’t we go home and just relax?”

Castiel took a moment to respond then nodded. Dean helped him off the couch, got their coats and shoes then said their goodbyes before leaving. The words kept repeating in Dean’s ears as they watched television and spooned that night.

While they fell into their usual routine easily, Dean noticed that Castiel brought up his trip less and less. Of course, he had already shared stories with most of their friends but his typical excitement seemed faded and Dean wondered if his boyfriend was truly reconsidering his contract with _National Geographic_.

Castiel was one of their best photographers and loved traveling despite disliking the fact that Dean never joined him on a trip. But Dean feared flying and could never wrap his head around anyone feeling safe in a metal death trap. He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the front door open and close. Dean looked over his shoulder from the stove and watched as Castiel slid his messenger bag off his shoulder.

“Hey, have a good day?”

“It was fine,” Castiel said while he took off his shoes. “I received an email about a job in Ireland two weeks from now.”

“Oh,” Dean tried to sound nonchalant as he tried to read Castiel, but he just seemed tired. “Dinner’s ready. What do you want to drink?”

“Water is fine. Thank you.” Castiel said. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed two plates and put them on the counter. “They’re creating a team of five for this one and since it’s so short notice, they’re just letting people sign up that have the time. Also… they’re encouraging everyone to bring someone because there will be a lot of extra time.”

Dean felt his ears burn as he made a glass of water and took a beer out of the fridge. He placed them on the kitchen table then watched as Castiel made his plate of mashed potatoes, green beans, and roast. He was usually so excited about another trip. Dean pursed his lips then made his plate before sitting next to Castiel at the table.

Castiel took a bite of mashed potatoes. “It’s mostly in Dublin, but will go into Waterford and-”

“I think that’s enough time to let the guys in the garage know I’ll be out of town for a week or two.”

“Excuse me?” Castiel’s eyes widened.

Dean thought his stomach was going to drop out of his chest then because he just signed himself up for being in a metal death trap for hours. It was such a split second decision that he didn’t think twice before he replied. “I think I could swing it this time around. Besides, the Irish know how to brew their beer.”

A wide smile grew on Castiel’s face. “Dean.”

***

Three long-lasting sleeping pils were the only thing that kept Dean (almost) sane on the two flights to get to Dublin. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he stepped out of the airport with Castiel’s hand in his. Dean scanned his eyes across the city in front of him and his chest ached because _wow_ , this was Dublin. It didn’t look any different from anything he hadn’t seen in the Midwest.

Castiel leaned into him. “It gets better.”

“It better be,” Dean smirked. “I didn’t almost die in a metal tube for nothing.”

“Just trust me.” Castiel chuckled then squeezed Dean’s hand as their taxi drove up to the curb.

Castiel was right. The week they spent in Ireland was one of the best weeks that Dean had in between the countless the pubs they went to, attractions they saw, and the beautiful landscape. Charlie was right, too. Dean would never admit it to anyone but her and Castiel, but having his boyfriend take candids of him was pretty romantic.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Also, your comments mean the world to me so if you want to leave one, please do! You can also find me on tumblr [here.](http://ultravioletcastiel.tumblr.com/)


End file.
